Now or Never

Status Coup has been ON-THE-GROUND in Chicago for over a month covering Trump's violent invasion of America's third largest city. We've broken SEVERAL MAJOR stories. Now we need you in order to stay.

***Status Coup has been ON THE GROUND reporting in Chicago on Trump’s violent ICE Invasion for over a month. This has taken A LOT OF RESOURCES—and no other outlets are doing this kind of in-the-trenches reporting. We REALLY need more viewers to become paid Status Coup members in order to remain ON THE GROUND. Support out INDEPENDENT reporting for as low as $5 bucks a month***

Hey folks, it’s Jordan.

Short, sweet, and transparent: we have now been ON THE GROUND in Chicago reporting and exposing the violent—and illegal—Trump invasion for over a month. This reporting has cost us nearly $10K (flights, hotel, rent-a-car, gas, food, safety equipment to avoid inhaling tear has, and paying freelancers for additional coverage). In that time, we’ve been able to cover and expose:

• ICE creating a war zone outside the Broadview Detention Center, tear gassing and attacking protesters & journalists (including our cameraman Jon Farina).

• ICE using a male protester as target practice, leaving his back riddled with bullet holes.

• ICE attacking—and then arresting—a U.S. combat veteran.

• ICE assaulting a Congressional candidate.

• Democrat Governor JB Pritzker’s police force aiding ICE operations and assaulting protesters.

• ICE invading a Hispanic neighborhood, tossing tear gas into homes as residents screamed.

• ICE BREAKING INTO a home as part of a raid of construction workers (leaving one bloodied).

• ICE smashing a car window in order to abduct two people (for no apparent reason).

This is just SOME of our ON THE GROUND reporting. WATCH highlights below:

As an independent outlet, we don’t have Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, or other major Democratic or Republican Party donors funding this reporting. And, as humbly as we can put it, we are THE ONLY NATIONAL OR LOCAL OUTLET—corporate or independent—consistently doing this in the trenches reporting. And we have broken more major stories—with far less in resources—than most other local and national outlets covering Trump’s Chicago invasion.

This ON-THE-GROUND reporting costs a lot—and is on top of paying for:

• Me

• Reporter JT Cestkowski

• Producer Michelle Dao

• Producer/Editor Colin Tooley

• Video journalist Jon Farina

• Administrative and bookkeeping freelancers

• Fixed monthly costs (including our LIVEU broadcasting device which costs over $500/month)

So, THE CHOICE IS YOURS. As things currently stand, we will have to leave Chicago shortly as we can’t afford to continue reporting there much longer due to the expenses we’ve already endured. I believe we as a people are at a tipping point—with an increasingly authoritarian president and the sycophants that surround him—openly embracing fascism. If we don’t have truly independent journalists out there exposing it, the masses will continue to live in the dark.

Help us wake up more of the masses!

Jordan